


Tale As Old As Time

by SlytherinProfess



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Disney References, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 05:17:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10073759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinProfess/pseuds/SlytherinProfess
Summary: Dan is Belle.Phil is the Beast.Do you really need to know more?





	1. Prologue

**_PROLOGUE_ **

**_.............................._ **

_Once upon a time, in a faraway land,_   
_A young Prince lived in a shining castle._   
_Although he had everything his heart desired,_   
_The Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind._   
_But then, one winter's night,_   
_An old beggar woman came to the castle_   
_And offered him a single rose In return for shelter from the bitter cold._   
_Repulsed by her haggard appearance,_   
_The Prince sneered at the gift,_   
_And turned the old woman away._   
_But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances,_   
_For Beauty is found within._   
_And when he dismissed her again,_   
_The old woman's ugliness melted away_   
_To reveal a beautiful Enchantress._   
_The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late,_   
_For she had seen that there was no love in his heart._   
_And as punishment,_   
_She transformed him into a hideous beast,_   
_And placed a powerful spell on the castle,_   
_And all who lived there._   
_Ashamed of his monstrous form,_   
_The beast concealed himself inside his castle,_   
_With a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world._   
_The Rose she had offered,_   
_Was truly an enchanted rose,_   
_Which would bloom for many years._   
_If he could learn to love another,_   
_And earn their love in return_   
_By the time the last petal fell,_   
_Then the spell would be broken._   
_If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast_   
_For all time._   
_As the years passed,_   
_He fell into despair, and lost all hope,_

For who could ever learn to love... A Beast?


	2. Bonjour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've worked really hard on this one guys! I truly hope you love it and enjoy it♥  
> If you're a crazy Disney fan like me this chapter will make you happy! (hopefully)

_**BONJOUR** _

_**..............................** _

His bedroom started to lit up. Damn it! He’s done it again… it wasn’t his fault really, if a book is THAT good it deserves to be read till the sun comes up.

Dan rubbed his eyes, already feeling tired and dreading the day to come. The only thing that gave him the slightest dash of happiness was knowing the library would be open today and he would get a new book! But then again, the thought of going outside was enough to put him down all the same.

**…**

_“Are you sure you don’t want breakfast dear?”_

_“Positive dad. Not that hungry”_ answered Dan truthfully. The only hunger he felt was that of getting his hands on a new book!

 _“You didn’t have dinner last night either!”_ shouted Maurice, Dan’s father, with an accusative but concerned tone. “No wonder you're looking like a cart wreck!”

 _“The only thing looking like a cart wreck will be your actual cart if you don’t get that new project of yours running!”_ said Dan amused and a little bit annoyed. He loved his dad, he really did, but sometimes he could get aggravating in seconds. “ _Anyways, I’m going to the library and leave you to it!”_

Dan put his white apron over his worn out light blue shirt and took the bread basket from the table, they would starve to death if he didn't go looking for groceries every other day…

As he stepped out of his humble home Dan realized it was a gorgeous day. The sky was clear and beautiful, not a single sign of the pouring rain that took place the night before. The grass was wet but bright under his footsteps and the smell of the wetness made Dan think of the book he had just finished hours before. How wonderful it was to read about such beautiful places! How he longed to just get sucked in on the pages of his favorite stories and live there forever! The tiny village in which Dan lived couldn't possibly be the only thing he would ever know, he had to get out, see the world, create stories for himself!

As he got closer to the main square, he could smell the delicious freshly baked bread, maybe he was hungry after all…

He decided to make a quick stop to the bakery, because honestly, the library was just 6 feet away…

 _“Good morning Daniel!”_ said gleefully the baker, a middle aged woman with fat cheeks and red thick curls hidden behind her chef’s hat.

 _“Good morning Madame Dupont!”_ answered Dan politely. The only person allowed to know how much he despised the place was himself.

 _“What can I get for you today?”_ she asked out of habit, even though she knew Dan only ever bought two loaves of bread and a small cheese wheel. _“Ohh is that a book?”_

 _“Yeah it’s the one I just finished!”_ started Dan rapidly as Mme. Dupont fetched the bread and cheese and put it in Dan’s basket. _“It’s about this boy who finds these beans who appear to be magical and-_

 _“Sounds lovely dear”_ she said as her attention flew to the next customers in line. _“What can I get for you darling?”_

 _ ~~‘Why do I even bother’~~_ Dan thought as he thanked Mme. Dupont and started walking away from the bakery.

Dan couldn’t help but notice several people stared at him as he walked towards the always empty library. He didn’t understand why people seemed to be surprised every time he walked there. For 22 years he had lived in that village and ever since he could remember the library had been his favorite place. Why then, did people express any sort of shock when he carried around his favorite books with him, or he sat down by the fountain to read, or came back the next day looking for a new book?!

All his life he and his dad had been outcasts. And who could blame them honestly? A “crazy” inventor and a bookworm boy. That’s how the whole village perceived them. If they could only open their tiny, uneducated and ignorant minds a bit they would understand how BLOODY BRILLIANT Maurice was! He had this clever inventions that would work if someone was there to help! Dan had tried many times but he had come to the conclusion that theory was his ally, not practice.

As he reached the library, the stares of curiosity became stares of indignation. Why was that boy looking for books when he could be doing something productive for the community instead?

 _“DANIEL MY BOY!”_ screamer the old librarian with delight, as Dan was his first (and probably last) customer of the day. The old man hurried from behind his desk and gave Dan a big, friendly hug! Dan couldn't help but smile through the awkwardness of the moment.

 _“Good Morning Monsieur Leroy”_ he said laughing, the old man let go of the hug and started searching for books in the bookshelves.

 _“I already know you finished the book you picked yesterday”_ he said as he hadn't heard Dan talk. _“And I think you're gonna love this one!”_

 _“Actually I wanted The Palace of the Night again…”_ said Dan sheepishly.

 _“Again?! But you’ve read that one twice!”_ said M. Leroy outraged. In his humble opinion, as he had told Dan, one could not waste time reading the same books over and over… There were too many books and too little time!

 _“I know M. Leroy but it’s my favorite!”_ said Dan dreamily. _“The faraway lands! And the magic! And the Prin-_

 _“The Prince huh?”_ M. Leroy eyed Dan with both confusion and acceptance. It was a secret they both knew but didn’t dare saying out loud. There was a reason Dan was 22 and still lived with his father, a reason why no maiden in the village ever crossed Dan’s mind.

 _“Well yeah the Prince…”_ Dan said blushing. _“It’s not my fault the author does a great job at describing the characters!”_ he added defensively.

 _“Alright alright”_ said an amused M. Leroy. _“Tell you something… if you like it so much, it's yours!”_

 _“WHAT?”_ said Dan incredulous, he didn’t have any books of his own, he couldn’t afford to buy them. _“I couldn't possibly accept it! You’re too kind to even let me borrow them for a few days let alone give me one for my own!”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous boy! Take it, no one else is gonna love it the way you do!”_

With tremendous gratitude Dan took the book and for the first time in his life, hugged M. Leroy so hard he thought the old man wouldn't be able to breath next.

_“Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”_

Dan stepped out of the library feeling happier than he had for a long time. He didn’t even care about the people’s continuous looks and judgement as he walked back home.

But as per usual, his small happiness bubble bursted when a certain someone approached him.

 _“What is it that you're carrying”_ he asked with his smug, deep voice.

 _“Nothing you care about”_ replied an annoyed Dan.

 _“Books are for women”_ he added, _“and children. I thought you were a men”_

_“I don't see how reading makes you lose your masculinity Gaston…”_

If there was a way to avoid Gaston during an entire day, Dan would pay hundreds just to learn it! Gaston was the town’s handsome hero and Dan’s personal bully/stalker. With his tall figure and muscular built it was hard not to worship him. No one could deny he was the most handsome men in the entire village, with teeth as blinding as the sun and hair as perfectly structured as the town’s church. But that didn’t matter to Dan, because it was like Gaston couldn't help but annoy him everywhere he went.

And everywhere Gaston went, his faithful sidekick went with him. LeFou was the complete opposite of Gaston. Small, round and clumsy, it was strange how Gaston could allow someone so not-his-usual-crowd to be with him at all times. Perhaps he didn’t see him as a friend but more as a loyal pet.

 _“Don’t talk to Gaston like that!”_ said LeFou.

 _“I’ll talk to him whichever way I want!”_ answered Dan with much more confidence he should.

He hadn't realized but they were now in a small alley between two shops. Gaston pushed Dan against the wall and as he did that, LeFou acted as a lookout making sure no one saw the scene about to unfold.

With Gaston’s big body pressing against him it was impossible to move, Dan was tall but nowhere near as tall as Gaston let alone as strong as him, so fighting his way out was no option.

Gaston’s hand moved to Dan’s chin with surprising delicacy, and although this wasn’t a strange gesture to Dan, it still made his insides revolt.

 _“You know there's a very simple way for this casual encounters to end”_ said Gaston with a soft and, to Dan’s ears, creepy voice. _“All you have to do is say yes”_ his other hand traveled down to Dan’s lower back, pulling him even closer.

 _“I am NOT interested Gaston! When are you going to understand it!”_ shouted Dan with disgust, trying to get free from Gaston’s embrace. For a small second Dan thought it would finally happen, that Gaston was going to get tired of pinning after him and just take what he wanted by force, the look in his eyes suggested it. But miraculously, LeFou gave a small cough indicating someone was heading their way and as fast as a lightning Gaston separated from Dan’s body and departed with LeFou by his side.

**…**

_“There you are! I was getting worried boy!”_

_“I got cornered by Gaston again”_ Dan said nonchalantly.

 _“Maybe you should reconsider your disdain for the man”_ said Maurice in a lecture kind of way. _“A friendship like that could have its benefits”_

 _“I doubt a friendship is what he want”_ said Dan sarcastically.

 _“What you mean by that?”_ asked his father in return.

 _“Nothing Papa, I’m just being weird”_ Dan answered and went to hug his father, who was concentrating hard on the machine he invented.

As Dan approached him with his arms out ready for the embrace, his father jumped and screamed so suddenly, it made dan swear out loud!

_“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!”_

_“DANIEL JAMES HOWELL!”_

_“SORRY BUT YOU STARTLED ME!”_

_“IT WORKS”_

_“WHAT?”_

_“THE MACHINE! IT WORKS! IT WORKS SON!”_

Both Howell men were jumping and screaming at first with confusion and now with joy and excitement! Dan’s father’s machine had worked! Finally after so long his father had done it! He had managed to make it work and they couldn’t be happier!

_“Do you know what this means son?!”_

_“That we’re getting out of here?”_ said Dan hopefully

 _“We most certainly are!”_ said Maurice excited as he grabbed his son’s face and planted a big kiss on his forehead. _“But first I have to show this at the county fair! The people need to get interested if we ever want to sell it!"_

 _"Than you should go immediately Papa!”_ Dan said hurrying and preparing a bag for his father. He would need food, a map, some clothes. Dan couldn't believe this was happening!

 _“Go get Francis ready m’boy!”_ Shouted Maurice. _“It’s about damn time that bloody horse got some exercise!”_

Dan went running to their small stable and started prepping his horse Francis. By noon, Maurice, his machine and the horse were ready to go! Dan had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, he was happy for his father, who worked so hard and had finally succeeded in a big project. But on the other hand, his Papa wasn't the healthiest youngest men alive, the thought of him going alone was terrifying. Dan had offered to go with him but Maurice refused, telling him someone had to stay and take care of the house.

 _“I’ll be alright boy! Stop your worrying!”_ his father had said. And with a smile on his face Dan say goodbye to his Papa, hoping that when he came back their lives would be unbelievably different!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr for updates on this story;) [SlytherinProfess]


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